Chapter 2

After a long and awkwardly silent drive to the ED, Max and Zoe step out of the car and begin walking towards the entrance hand in hand with Sophia following behind. It's Zoe's first day back and Max can feel her nerves as they reach the door so he tightens his hold as Zoe takes a deep breath.

"Ladies first." He gallantly announces as he opens out his arm and releases Zoe's hand towards the department. Zoe nods her head in response and walks through the doors. Max keeps his position as Sophia catches up to them; his smile meets hers and she heads straight in.

"Today's going to be a great day!" Max says to himself before walking into the ED.

In the time it's taken Sophia to catch up, Zoe has already managed to throw her handbag down by the side of her desk and log on to her computer. Her eyes widen in disbelief at what she sees on the screen as Sophia enters and closes the door behind her.

"1500! 1500 emails I've got! I've only been away for three weeks!" she takes yet another one of her sighs and begins typing frantically.

"Zoe." Sophia places her handbag next to Zoe's and sits on the edge of the desk.

Without peeling her eyes away from the screen, half afraid of making eye contact with Sophia, Zoe points towards the stacks of paper and folders that line the cabinet behind them, "If we're going to tell Connie you're here to do some filing, you may as well do some."

"Zoe." She repeats softly and Zoe stops typing, looks down towards the floor and then looks at Sophia.

"What?" she attempts a smile.

"What's going on?" Sophia asks as she moves closer to Zoe.

"What's going on is I have thousands of emails to reply to before my shift finishes and I'd like to get on with it." She turns her head back towards her computer and begins typing again.

"I mean with you. What's going on with you?"

"Soph, I've already told you – there's nothing wrong with me, I must just have the flu or something."

"Really?" Sophia asks as she stares inquisitively and tilts her head to one side.

"Really." Replies Zoe with a smile as she pauses her typing once more but she is unable to meet Sophia's eyes fully.

"Okay, then maybe you could tell me why I found a needle and syringe in the bin this morning. Hmm?"

Zoe swings her chair around to face Sophia properly shocked and completely oblivious to the fact that Sophia had found it.

"I…uhm…how did you? I mean, you weren't meant to see that…I was going to…I was going to throw the bins out before you got up – you weren't meant to be up that early." She stutters in response.

"Oh, I see, so it's my fault is it? Surely you didn't think wrapping it in tissue paper would hide it did you?"

"Why were you even going through the bin in the first place? Why can't you just leave this alone, Soph and trust that I'll tell you everything when you need to know?"

"BECAUSE I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU THAT'S WHY! SOMEBODY HAS TO BE THERE FOR YOU AND IF MAX CANT SEE IT, THEN I HAVE TO!" Sophia had never spoken like this to Zoe before and, while Zoe understood deep down that Sophia was as concerned for her as she was for Sophia, she wasn't expecting a reaction like that.

As Sophia paces up and down the office running her hands halfway through her hair before gripping at it and taking huge sigh, the door flies open and both Sophia and Zoe sharply turn their heads to see Mrs. Beauchamp - the Clinical Lead – standing in the doorway. She walks in without taking her eyes from the files she has in her arms and closes the door.

"Zoe, we're going to need you on the floor today," she orders completely oblivious to Sophia's presence.

"Connie, can't it wait? I have all of these emails to catch up on plus all of this filing to do."

"I'm afraid not – St. James' is on the verge of closing their ED so we are currently receiving all of their ambulances as well. Sorry."

"Fine." Says Zoe reluctantly as she shuts down her computer and grabs her stethoscope once more from the drawers beside her desk.

As she stands up, Connie finally looks up and sees Sophia standing there, "I'm sorry, who are you exactly?" she asks.

"Oh, I'm Sophia. Sophia Jordan. It's nice to meet you – I've heard so much," replies Sophia extending her hand.

Connie shakes her hand while smiling and saying, "Well, it's nice to finally meet you Sophia. I'd like to extend my condolences, your father was a wonderful man – I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Smiles Sophia as she is released from Connie's strong handshake.

"While this is lovely," Connie starts, "what are you doing here?"

"She was just about to leave weren't you Soph?" Zoe jumps in. She is aware that Sophia needed some time alone and the ED being busy is the perfect excuse for Zoe not to reveal her secret. Connie smiles and nods as she stands aside slightly to let Zoe leave the office and lead the way to Resus.

Just as she is about to walk out of the door Sophia, who is still reluctant to give in to Zoe's act, takes it upon herself to make sure she stays in the hospital to keep an eye on Zoe and she quickly jumps in saying "Actually… I thought I could maybe stay here? Give you a hand with your filing? I mean, it clearly needs doing and it would take some of the load off Zoe." She gives Zoe a sarcastic grin.

"Fine with me." Says Connie before asking, "Zoe?"

Zoe rolls her eyes knowing realising that this was Sophia's plan all along and bluntly replies "Fine." She walks out of the office without even a second glance at Sophia and Connie follows her closing the door as she leaves.

Sophia, now alone, takes a pile from the cabinet and places it on the desk in front of her. Slightly guilty and exhausted from her first ever blow out with Zoe, she rests her head in her hands before taking a deep breath, lifting one of the files from the pile and saying "Right. Well, I'd better get started."